Free Desire Me Always by Tiffany Clare Page A

things from the saddlebags and putting them out on the blanket. He did not engage in any conversation with them and hardly looked their way. That action in and of itself was not strange for a servant; it was the uncanny way in which he kept glancing at their surroundings, as though waiting for something bad to happen. It was disconcerting being around him. And while Amelia always felt safe around Nick and Huxley, she didn’t think this man would be looking out for her best interest.
    Amelia rubbed her arms, feeling suddenly chilled. It had been less than a week since Shauley had kidnapped her, and she had to wonder where he’d gone to hide since then. Was he close? Had he left England? She wished she could forget about that man. Forget what he’d done to her. Only time would heal the fears that gripped her whenever she thought about Shauley.
    Roberts stood next to the horses, feeding them pieces of apple he’d cut between bites for himself. There was something about the way he held himself; it was like a warning to others that at the drop of a hat, he would be ready for any sort of battle. He was almost like he had the same fighting instinct that Nick had.
    â€œDoes your husband’s manservant always watch you from a distance?” Amelia asked.
    Amelia tore her gaze away from the servant and sat on the blanket as Meredith opened up one of the two baskets that held their afternoon meal.
    â€œAlways. Landon is dreadfully distrustful to the world around us, and I suspect that Nick wouldn’t have allowed you to come, had Roberts not been present.”
    â€œBecause of the kidnapping.”
    â€œAmong other things.”
    Lady Burley captured Amelia’s undivided attention with that comment. “What other things ?”
    â€œBusiness matters.” Lady Burley didn’t enlighten her further. “I always knew the risk I was taking in marrying Landon. While he is a gentleman of the highest degree, he also accomplishes things that others of his rank find vulgar.”
    â€œWhen my father died, the taxes on the transfer of his properties were the last straw that broke my brother, Jeremy. Had my brother had money, I doubt he would have put it to good use, but his impoverished state is much like that of so many other lords, made worse by those who prefer to play life on a game of chance.”
    â€œI had no idea.” Meredith seemed surprised by this revelation and gave Amelia a long look, as though she were measuring Amelia in a whole new light.
    Amelia felt foolish for revealing so much . . . she had assumed Nick would have mentioned what had happened with her brother. And then she recalled all the other lost souls who lived under Nick’s protection. Their secrets were their own; Nick had made that clear, as had the servants. It seemed hers were also of a private matter and no one’s business, unless she chose to reveal the facts.
    â€œYour husband has made a success of his lands,” Amelia changed the topic, hoping Lady Burley would ask no questions about Amelia’s past. “Is that not something others should want to emulate? It’s admirable what he’s accomplished.”
    â€œIt truly is,” Meredith said with a sigh. The love for her husband could not be feigned, and Amelia hoped that what she and Nick had was just as strong as what she saw in Lord and Lady Burley.
    â€œBut back to the topic at hand,” Meredith turned her gaze toward the manservant again. “My husband has made plenty of enemies over the years. Not one of the aristocrats would care to emulate my husband; they want to crush him for not following the same path everyone else was forced to take by circumstance. Roberts is my husband’s most trusted man and has stood by him through every threat that tried to tear apart what we have.”
    Amelia watched her new friend in silence; her sandwich lay untouched on her napkin. She and Meredith were more alike than she could have